#1: TRUST LIFE
The hardest, and biggest lesson of this year has been leaning into trust. And to be completely honest, I feel like I am only just scratching the surface on this one. It has been a really tough year this year for a number of reasons, in all areas of my life, from business, to personal and even my health.

But through it, I was reminded of what truly mattered, I was asked to look deeper within myself than ever before and ask the hard questions. It can be easy to ask yourself ‘why me’ and ‘what did I do wrong/to deserve this’ or even ‘why can’t this just work out’. Believe me, I feel the frustration in all of it, and I still get triggered (I’m only human right).

However, leaning into trust, as scary as it has been, has shown me that everything (yes, everything… and no, don’t roll your eyes at me), happens for a reason. It is still something I am coming to terms with on a daily basis, but the more it happens the more I lean into the discomfort, unpack it and then take the next most logical step forward. Life is far kinder when you are willing to explore from a place of empowerment than victimhood.

#2: THE UNIVERSE IS A FRIENDLY PLACE
To follow on from Trusting Life… this poem/quote from Albert Einstein says everything I could ever say and more about this lesson, so I thought I’d share it with you. (*note: you can replace Universe with anything that feels aligned for you – God/Source/Life)

“I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves.”

For if we decide that the universe is an unfriendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to achieve safety and power by creating bigger walls to keep out the unfriendliness and bigger weapons to destroy all that which is unfriendly and I believe that we are getting to a place where technology is powerful enough that we may either completely isolate or destroy ourselves as well in this process.

“If we decide that the universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly and that God is essentially ‘playing dice with the universe’, then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning.

“But if we decide that the universe is a friendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to create tools and models for understanding that universe. Because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives.”

“God does not play dice with the universe,”

–Albert Einstein

#3: REST IS SACRED
Burnout is not fun (and I got to revisit this old friend again this year)… as a wellness coach, I know the importance of rest from a physical level, and how much it supports a happy body and mind, but this year it struck a little differently.

I felt burnt out all the way to my core, the SOUL of my being actually felt tired. For a few months I felt stuck in a loop of darkness, not quite knowing how to make my way out, but persisting.

I know I am someone who constantly is looking for the ‘HOW’… how do I get myself out of this, how can I feel better quicker, how can I make sure I’m doing XYZ better. And this paralysed me this year, because I couldn’t figure out the HOW.

I had to stop, I had to rest, I had to get still, and in this stillness I found space, I found safety, I found a truer expression of myself and I am still practising it all. However, I am now far more intentional about creating the space to rest (without the guilt) and reconnect with my creative side, recharge my soul and of course… TRUST life in the process.

#4: IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO CREATE SAFETY IN YOUR BODY
This journey of discovering the sacredness of rest and trusting life, allowed me to realise just how unsafe I had been feeling in my own body. It was no wonder I was stuck in burnout, it was no wonder I couldn’t shift my frequency higher… my body didn’t feel safe.

Not only was I communicating this from a physical level (you know by not creating space and resting), but by telling myself stories, limitations, buying into misunderstandings about the things and people around me.

It is so easy to get lost in the world of our mind, and believe every thought we think is true, and if these thoughts don’t serve you they are only going to keep you trapped and feeling unsafe.

So I got curious, started digging deeper into my feelings of unsafety, where did they come from, where did my body learn this, what am I holding onto that I need to let go of, I did the inner work (and am still doing it) to help me get free and feel safe.

And whenever I notice those fears or thoughts pop up I remind myself to get still, offer myself reassurance and love, and be kind to myself. All along I had been looking for others to give this to me, when in reality this is what I needed to give it to myself.

#5: TAKE THE LEAP BEFORE YOU ARE READY & #6: IT’S OKAY NOT TO BE PERFECT
These two lessons go hand in hand… and I want to start by sharing a quote from Lisa Bilyeu’s book Radical Confidence “If you want to do big things, you have to — I repeat, you haaaaave to — get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I wish it weren’t true, but there’s no way around it.”
Which inspires lessons 5 & 6, because in my personal experience and belief system, everything you want is on the other side of fear. In fact, fear/anxiety are actually chemically the same in the body as excitement.

So instead of letting your fear of getting it ‘wrong’ or it not being ‘perfect’ paralyse you, channel that energy into excitement! You’d be amazed what will happen if you just put one foot in front of the other in the direction of where you want to go.

And you know what, if you fall, you can get right back up… it’s all here for our learning. And really, really, really question… is anything ever PERFECT?

#7: LEAN INTO YOUR INTUITION… FOLLOW YOUR GUT
To tie back into my lessons about creating space, and safety… it can be really hard to hear anything when there is too much background noise, or you never slow down enough to pause and listen right? (We are in agreement so far?)

Well then, it stands to reason that we could really struggle to hear our internal guidance (yes we all have it), our intuition if there is too much noise.

If our schedules are jam packed day to day, if we take little time to get creative, play and enjoy life, or we are constantly keeping ourselves playing small, that little voice of guidance is going to struggle to be heard.

However, that little friendly voice inside is STRONG and will continue to knock on your door until it is heard, it is just up to you if you are willing to slow down enough to listen

We have all had that feeling of butterflies in our tummies, or that little nagging that something just doesn’t feel right, only to be proven correct moments or months later, right?

Which just shows how powerful this inner guidance system really is… so take this as your sign to lean in (no matter how uncomfortable it may feel) and get curious on what it has to say.

The more I have created space and safety to hear this voice and allow it to guide me, the stronger, happier and healthier I have become, don’t take my word for it… trust your gut!

#8: YOUR MINDSET IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR HEALING
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” ― Henry Ford
Whilst I’d love to just leave that quote to stand alone, because it truly is profound… I’m thinking some of you may want an explanation on just what on earth I (and Henry Ford) am on about…

Your mind can be utilised as your most powerful weapon, or tool to propel you forward in this life, and if you choose to buy into beliefs that keep you stuck then that is how you will stay… STUCK.

If you choose to use this tool however as the transformative asset in your life it can be, just watch it change!

Take me for example, earlier this year I discovered a whole host of health issues in my gut. Now if I had stayed stuck in my mind telling myself that I am never going to heal, that I am just going to keep getting worse, and nothing I do is working… What do you think would’ve happened?

I wouldn’t have healed and would still be feeling like sh*t!

What I did instead, was take action on my healing journey, and when the doubts popped up (oh because they do, and will), I acknowledged them and then shifted them. I kept reminding myself that I was healing, that my body is incredible, and I was going to finish this year happier and healthier than I have ever been.

And do you know what happened? I did, and I have!

Now you could argue that it’s because I did all the protocols and took all the supplements, and yes, you’re right, that plays a massive role. But don’t you think if I kept believing nothing was working that I would’ve even continued to show up and do it? Probably not…

This applies to EVERYTHING!! Don’t believe me… try it for yourself and see.

#9: NOTHING THAT IS MEANT FOR YOU WILL MISS YOU
I was reminded of this beautiful sentiment by my dear friend Samantha Ruberto only a few months ago. Whilst she had said it to me in the past, my ears hadn’t been quite ready to hear it.

It can be so easy to have regrets in life, or get stuck in the ‘what if’s’ or ‘if only’ … but let me share something with you, that’s only going to keep you limited and stuck too. The moment you do, you take yourself out of the present and into the past, away from the magic of the moment that is right in front of you.

When I fully leant into this (again, still learning), I noticed how much calmer I was, how much I trusted life more, how much easier I let things go. Another way to look at it is this… ‘rejection is God’s redirection’ (again use whatever word feels good for you there) but this was a quote I heard from Jamie Kern Lima on a podcast and it really stuck with me.

It all comes back to trusting life…

#10: YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR TIME, ENERGY, AND RELATIONSHIPS
A long time ago I was taught that you’ll only get out what you put in, and this is probably one of the most literal things I have taken and applied in my life when it comes to my business and my health.

However, it also caught me in a burnout loop of having to put in and sacrifice more time, more energy, and more time and more energy, because the more I put in the more I would get out right? I had trapped myself in a toxic cycle.

Yet, there was one area that stood out to me this year as a GIANT neon sign, an area that I wasn’t feeling held in, and I kept wondering why… my relationships.

I’m not going to lie, my work and career has been my #1 priority these past few years, and I haven’t been able to give my all to the people around me that I love the most, and that started to reflect and wonder why I was feeling left out and alone.

And I realised, I had been expecting people to show up for me, make the effort when I hadn’t been putting the time into reaching out first and nurturing them.

Look don’t get me wrong, I am a giver to a fault, and have had to work MASSIVELY on boundaries because of this *hello people pleasers anonymous* , but that was just it. I was there at people’s time of need, or as an ear to listen, but the relationships weren’t deepening like I would’ve liked.

So, I took the principle from above, that you only get out what you put in, and started reaching out, making more of an effort, prioritising the relationships in my life over my work (most of the time haha).

And I noticed a massive shift, in myself, in the quality of friendships I was having. I became more confident in having harder conversations too. As a result, because I was happier, the time and energy I was spending on the business and work was of a higher quality… I realised that the quote wasn’t meaning that more is more, it actually came down to the quality and intention behind what I put in.

Which made me realise how much more intentional I could be, and how much control (in a healthy way), I had over my time, energy and relationships – GAME CHANGER!